Nearby Words
noun
1.
an unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest person.
2.
Cards. jack1 (def. 2).
3.
Archaic.
a.
a male servant.
b.
a man of humble position.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English; Old English cnafa; cognate with German Knabe boy; akin to Old Norse knapi page, boy
before 1000; Middle English; Old English cnafa; cognate with German Knabe boy; akin to Old Norse knapi page, boy
Synonyms
1. blackguard, villain, scamp, scapegrace. Knave, rascal, rogue, scoundrel are disparaging terms applied to persons considered base, dishonest, or worthless. Knave, which formerly meant merely a boy or servant, in modern use emphasizes baseness of nature and intention: a dishonest and swindling knave. Rascal suggests shrewdness and trickery in dishonesty: a plausible rascal. A rogue is a worthless fellow who sometimes preys extensively upon the community by fraud: photographs of criminals in a rogues' gallery. A scoundrel is a blackguard and rogue of the worst sort: a thorough scoundrel. Rascal and rogue are often used affectionately or humorously (an entertaining rascal; a saucy rogue), but knave and scoundrel are not.
1. blackguard, villain, scamp, scapegrace. Knave, rascal, rogue, scoundrel are disparaging terms applied to persons considered base, dishonest, or worthless. Knave, which formerly meant merely a boy or servant, in modern use emphasizes baseness of nature and intention: a dishonest and swindling knave. Rascal suggests shrewdness and trickery in dishonesty: a plausible rascal. A rogue is a worthless fellow who sometimes preys extensively upon the community by fraud: photographs of criminals in a rogues' gallery. A scoundrel is a blackguard and rogue of the worst sort: a thorough scoundrel. Rascal and rogue are often used affectionately or humorously (an entertaining rascal; a saucy rogue), but knave and scoundrel are not.
Antonyms
hero.
hero.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To knave
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Knave
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Example Sentences
- It seems utterly impossible to overtake that old rebel hypocrite and knave.
- She was hardly worth the hazard run by the knave that fired her.
- As loudly as he had been lauded a financial savior months earlier, he was branded a knave and ignobly demoted.
Collins
World English Dictionary
| knave (neɪv) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | archaic a dishonest man; rogue |
| 2. | another word for jack |
| 3. | obsolete a male servant |
| [Old English cnafa; related to Old High German knabo boy] | |
| 'knavish | |
| —adj | |
| 'knavishly | |
| —adv | |
| 'knavishness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
knave
O.E. cnafa "boy, male servant," common Gmc. (cf. O.H.G. knabo "boy, youth, servant," Ger. knabe "boy, lad," also probably related to O.E. cnapa "boy, youth, servant," O.N. knapi "servant boy," Du. knaap "a youth, servant," M.H.G. knappe "a young squire," Ger. Knappe "squire, shield-bearer"). The original
EXPANDmeaning may have been "stick, piece of wood." Sense of "rogue, rascal" first recorded c.1200. In playing cards, "the jack," 1560s.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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